A history of Robert C. Parker School

Robert C. Parker School was founded in 1991 by parents and educators from The Children’s School at Emma Willard who were interested in creating a progressive school for students in grades four to eight. In the early years, the school’s home was the town hall building in Wynantskill. In the fall of 1997, kindergarten through grade three were added.

In September 1998, the school moved to its permanent home on 77 acres of rolling farmland and forest in North Greenbush and expanded again to include a preschool program for three- and four-year-olds.

The founders named the school for Robert Curtis Parker, principal at Emma Willard School from 1979 – 1986. Bob Parker embodied integrity, enthusiasm for life, warmth, and energy. He had created a learning environment where children developed mutual respect, a love of learning, and an expectation that learning is exciting, interesting, and fun. Bob Parker was a proponent of multiculturalism and gender equity, and a believer in the importance of public/private partnerships. Robert Curtis Parker died in 1986 in Troy, New York.